Developing a flight path for an aircraft using conventional tools and methods leads to limited options that sometimes result in less efficient routing of the aircraft and do not take full advantage of the capabilities of today's navigation systems.
For example, the TARGETS (Terminal Area Route Generation and Traffic Simulation) software tool offered by MITRE Corporation does not allow flight path engineers to include curved flight path segments within a final approach visual segment phase of a flight path being developed and/or evaluated. Curved segments are important, however, as they allow for flight paths to be made shorter and to avoid selected areas (such as, e.g., obstacles, noise abatement, traffic, etc.). Curved segments are one feature of RNP (Required Navigation Performance) approach procedures.
In addition, allowing for curved segments provides flight path engineers with more design options, particularly in scenarios where numerous obstacles must be negotiated. Current software tools and techniques to analyze and design flight paths in which numerous obstacles must be avoided to determine a final approach are limited. These current tools may not allow for analysis and detailed calculation of certain parameters, and thus not realize all of the possible benefits for aircraft having the latest navigation technology.